Community-Led Libraries Toolkit

Transcription

1 Community-Led Libraries Toolkit starting us all down the path toward developing inclusive public libraries

2 we lc come.

3 wa ay fi nder Overview Social Exclusion, Public Libraries, and The Working Together Project Preface: Why Working Together Introduction: Community-Led Libraries Toolkit Social Exclusion Working Together Sites: Overview Community Engagement in Context Community-Led Service Planning Developing Inclusive Public Libraries Using the Tools and Advice Systemic Barriers to Public Library Service Community-Led Service Planning Model The Tools Community Entry Community Mapping Relationship Building Partnerships Program Planning Computer Training Collection Development Customer Service Supporting the Inclusive Public Library Policy Development Staff Development Service Evaluation Looking Ahead 1

4 2 almost ready?

5 Overview Social Exclusion, Public Libraries, and The Working Together Project Preface: Why Working Together Introduction: Community-Led Libraries Toolkit Social Exclusion Working Together Sites: Overview Community Engagement in Context great... lets get started 3

6 Preface: Why Working Together By Brian Campbell Founding Director and former National Director (retired) Working Together Project Vancouver Public Library (VPL) initiated the Working Together Project¹ in 2004 to develop methods for libraries to work with low-income communities through a community development approach. Funded as a demonstration project by the Office of Learning Technologies of Human Resources and Social Development Canada, funding was available over three years which was extended to four. The long-term funding was invaluable, allowing the participating libraries both to undertake the lengthy process of understanding and implementing community development approaches and to incorporate some of their lessons into their library systems. Unfortunately, program and funding constraints centred the Project on urban communities, despite recognition that rural libraries have similar issues. Why was such a project necessary? The dominant belief in 2004, as it is today, was that libraries serve the whole population and are open to all who choose to use it. Indeed, libraries have instituted many programs to reach out beyond their buildings. Libraries view themselves and are viewed by many users as the living room of the community. They score well in surveys of public services, often ranking just behind the public safety services such as fire and police. However, other surveys echo library statistics showing that the whole community is not using the library. Usage statistics were particularly troublesome in urban areas with high concentrations of poor, immigrant, and socially excluded individuals. British librarian John Pateman estimated that 40 percent of his community were not library users and 30 percent were marginal users. Based on their experience directly serving patrons, library staff at VPL and across Canada expressed concern that libraries were no longer serving poor and socially excluded people. Many staff pointed to the increasing number of rules, the impact of fines, and the focus on information technology as alarming factors. This situation is not peculiar to libraries. A substantial body of literature, including the Royal Commission on Poverty (1968) and literature pre-dating the Commission s report, demonstrates that government offices, schools, and hospitals are alien and frightening to many who are socially excluded. Such government institutions public libraries included primarily serve the middle class, and so are alienating to many people. What then is to be done if we are serious about serving the whole community? ¹ The Libraries in Marginal Communities Demonstration Project started on February 25, 2004 and ended on October 31, The Working Together Project, which started on November 1, 2005 and is scheduled to end on April 30, 2008, evolves the philosophies and concepts of the first demonstration project. Throughout the Toolkit, these two related demonstration projects are referred to collectively as the Working Together Project or the Project. 4 Part I Overview

7 The initial Libraries in Marginal Communities Demonstration Project proposal outlined the basic philosophy of the Project: Librarians have important skills and information to share with low-income communities. The community has important knowledge of itself. The effort in this project will be to take a community development approach to putting library skills at the service of the community by working with them to link library services to community understanding of its needs. The first phase of the Project placed Community Development Librarians (CDLs) in the community to find out what was actually happening and how public libraries were perceived. While libraries had made attempts in the past to use a community development approach, with a few exceptions, it has been decades since there was a systematic effort across the profession. A significant shock for the CDLs was to discover that many people are critical and even angry at libraries because of their experiences. Many did not think of the library as a place for them. Their kind was not welcome. This response is verified by the many discussions within libraries concerning smelly users, inappropriately dressed patrons, and people sleeping in cubicles and with their head on tables. Fines and charges were quickly identified as a barrier for low-income individuals during this first phase. Children are often discouraged from using the library for fear of accruing fines. One of the most significant early debates within the Project was whether fines should be eliminated, especially for children, and what would be the financial impact on libraries. Interestingly, the issue of encouraging responsible use became another important debate within the first years of the Project, a debate which often overshadowed the need to encourage socially excluded people to even enter the library. The insights gained in the first phase of the Project resulted in its renaming. First named Libraries in Marginal Communities, the CDLs understood that the name implied a one way relationship and not the mutual and reciprocal relationship our philosophy encouraged. The Project was renamed Working Together: Library Community Connections. The Project also began to understand the gulf that exists between outreach libraries usual approach to communities and community development, an important distinction that is discussed later in this Toolkit. this way 5

8 Preface While there are many specific library policies that work against socially excluded individuals, the Project gradually grew to understand that the issues confronting the socially excluded were much larger than individual policies. The culture and environment of the library is also problematic. As a bureaucratic institution, the library develops policies and procedures that simplify and ease the efforts required to maintain a stable organisation, not the least of which is the comfort and convenience of the staff and administration, as well as the interest of its mainstream socioeconomically advantaged users. Sustainability is crucial to the success of such an approach. Too often, attempts to reach out to socially excluded non-library users result in token programs or services tangential to the overall service structure of the library. This partition of services exposes such services during the next financial crisis. If the Working Together Project has shown anything, it is that working with socially excluded people to meet their library needs requires far more than just re-organising existing programs and delivery. Acknowledging that current library models do not work for many socially excluded people necessarily acknowledges the need for more fundamental change. It recognises that change is an ongoing process and that initial attempts, while perhaps partial and modestly effective, are still an important beginning. In essence, a single staff position or policy change will not be sufficient. Transforming staff roles to work with socially excluded communities means changing the way we look at planning, customer service, and policy. It means moving toward a model in which every user is viewed as a complex individual, with history and community, requiring human contact to fully meet their needs. Such a transformation shifts the library back to its human roots. Importantly, those excluded by current service approaches extend far beyond those defined as socially excluded to include major demographic sectors such as seniors, youth, and children. While the Project s community development approach has been oriented to socially excluded communities, the lessons and approaches are important to radically transform traditional library service for us all....is an ongoing process 6 Part I Overview

9 Introduction: Community-Led Libraries Toolkit By Sandra Singh National Director, Working Together Project Director of Systems and Special Projects, Vancouver Public Library Four Years of Learning... Over the past four years, Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) has funded two related demonstration projects referred to collectively in this Toolkit as the Working Together Project or the Project² that explored the application of community development techniques in developing more inclusive public library services. Led by Vancouver Public Library, the partner libraries Halifax Public Libraries, Toronto Public Library, and Regina Public Library have all invested significantly in this exploration. This investment is an important recognition by four of Canada s largest urban public library systems that public libraries need to find new and better ways of understanding and serving socially excluded community members if our institutions are to play the important social and economic roles we aspire to fulfil. 1 2 During the course of our work, we have sought to achieve two main objectives: Through establishing ongoing relationships with socially excluded people, work collaboratively with socially excluded communities to articulate and respond to their library service wants and needs. Identify and examine systemic barriers to library use for socially excluded people and propose policy and procedural change to address these barriers, including the development of an inclusive service planning model. In order to achieve these objectives, Project staff have been working in four urban neighbourhoods across the country with populations who have been alienated from or who do not feel welcome in the public library. Using community development techniques, staff have been working to both understand the barriers faced by community members and to collaborate with them to eliminate barriers and plan relevant services that meet their self-articulated needs. ² The Libraries in Marginal Communities Demonstration Project started on February 25, 2004 and ended on October 31, The Working Together Project, which started on November 1, 2005 and is scheduled to end on April 30, 2008, evolves the philosophies and concepts of the first demonstration project. follow me 7

10 Introduction Our experiences over the past four years have led us to six key lessons: Library culture, along with rules and procedures, create significant barriers to inclusion. Libraries must recognise that same or consistent customer service, which does not take into account socio-economic disparity, results in inequitable services that further disadvantage socially excluded people. Planning relevant and effective library services for socially excluded community members requires a collaboration of equals between the community members and the library. Relationship building is at the core of effective service planning. Staff soft skills such as empathy, interpersonal competence, and open-mindedness are essential. People want to see themselves represented in the library and to have an opportunity to participate. Sharing Our Experiences... Drawing on the experiences of the four Working Together Project libraries, The Community-Led Libraries Toolkit discusses the techniques used by the Project staff as they worked with their communities both to identify and eliminate barriers to service and to develop and test a service model in which socially excluded people can actively participate as equals in library decision making and planning. The Toolkit has some specific objectives: To increase libraries understanding of the unintended consequences of traditional library policy, procedure, and practice. To improve our understanding of the different ways libraries have traditionally involved communities and to promote a community-led approach for service to socially excluded communities. To support lasting improvements in the provision of inclusive and accessible library services for socially excluded communities. To facilitate the empowerment of socially excluded community members through participatory service planning processes. To foster constructive and collaborative working relationships between libraries and socially excluded communities. To achieve these objectives, The Community-Led Libraries Toolkit provides philosophical and practical guidance for all stages of the library service planning process, from developing an understanding of community and needs identification through library policy development, service planning, day-to-day customer service, staff development, and evaluation. In addition to being a valuable resource for managers and librarians working with socially excluded communities, the Toolkit content should also be useful for any staff seeking to develop community-led practices, regardless of the social or socio-economic group they most directly serve. 8 Part I Overview

11 1 2 3 The Toolkit is comprised of three main sections: Part I Overview: Social Exclusion, Public Libraries, and the Working Together Project Includes background and context for the Project and its experiences. Part II Community-Led Service Planning: Developing Inclusive Public Libraries Discusses systemic barriers to library service and presents The Community-Led Service Planning Model. This part also contains eight Tools for use by staff in conjunction with the Community-Led Service Planning Model. Part III Supporting the Inclusive Public Library Identifies and discusses the institutional conditions necessary to support the inclusive public library, including discussions on policy development and application, staff development, and service evaluation. Putting it all Together... Public libraries have the potential to be one of our community s most important social institutions. Already, we are recognised as important contributors to early childhood education, economic prosperity, cultural diversity, literacy, and lifelong learning. Now, we just need to openly acknowledge that we fulfil these important roles for primarily the middle class and/or those already able to confidently engage in community life. We need to change the lens through which we view ourselves, our processes, and our services. Our new lenses need to be those of socially excluded communities we need to understand how the library looks and feels to them. From there, it is a simple process change changing the way we engage so that planning and decision making is collaborative and participatory. The Working Together Project has been experimenting with various techniques for achieving this evolution for the past four years and we are pleased to share our experiences and learnings with our public library colleagues across the country through this Community-Led Libraries Toolkit. Implementation of the Community-Led Service Planning Model will start us all down the path toward creating a dynamic and engaging social institution that is responsive to and inclusive of our whole community in ways that respond to their unique and diverse needs. Getting there may not be without its challenges, but our hope is that this Toolkit, which is based in experience and designed to help move libraries/library staff through these challenges, will provide valuable assistance. 9

12 Social Exclusion By Annette DeFaveri National Coordinator, Working Together Project Public libraries are often described as inclusive, neutral, and barrier-free institutions. Our mandates and mission statements include commitments to providing equal access to all community members, creating welcoming environments, and reflecting the diversity of our communities. Libraries appear to be the definition of inclusive institutions. We seem to embody the values necessary to build inclusive communities. Ask any librarian if the library is an inclusive institution and the answer will likely be yes. It is clear, however, from library literature and our experiences, that libraries serve some segments of the community better than others, and some segments not at all. This tells us that libraries are not truly inclusive and emphasises the need to discuss policies, practices, services, and attitudes that inhibit inclusion. When the Working Together Project asked librarians to talk about developing inclusive library practices and services, discussions stalled. Many librarians were hesitant to discuss social inclusion issues with us because they believed that the library already was inclusive. Some librarians cited long open hours, appropriate physical access, and creative programming as evidence of inclusiveness. Others defined inclusiveness by describing their own comfort level serving anyone who walked through the library s doors and by their personal commitment to developing original programming. The dilemma for the Project was to have discussions about inclusion that went past personal definitions and further than asset-focused examples. To begin discussions about social inclusion and libraries, the Project started discussing social exclusion and communities. Social exclusion should be understood in broad terms. It can affect any stratum of our society, including people who are poor or live in poverty, people who are unemployed or underemployed, and people who are members of ethnic or cultural minorities. Being excluded can mean being alienated from the political, social, economic, and cultural life of the community because of race, gender, sexual orientation, or class. Excluded communities can include new immigrants, refugees, the working poor, and groups that have been historically isolated such as African Nova Scotians and First Nations people. For some people, being excluded can stem from, or bring about, drug addiction, mental illness, and homelessness. The conditions that define social exclusion can often be multiple. it s not a good feeling 10 Part I Overview

13 When we focused on social exclusion, we learned from community members how exclusion affects their lives and defines their needs. We discovered that library services we thought of as inclusive fell short of meeting many community needs and were, in some cases, alienating to community members. We learned about individuals such as one teen who was afraid to come in to the library because he was sure the security gates would alert staff to his fines. The teen believed that library staff would take his skateboard in lieu of the money he did not have to pay those fines. We learned about a group of moms who, after attending one story time, never came back to another. They were embarrassed because they had talked while the librarian sang, and were told not to do so. In one community, physically disabled people, parents with strollers, and elderly community members could not navigate the steep rough path that was the only walkway from the bus stop to the library. At a conceptual level, libraries may appear to be inclusive institutions, but whether this is reflected in the realities of service prioritisation, the manner in which services are delivered, and the institutional culture must be continuously questioned. Ultimately, the Project learned that it is impossible to conceive of inclusive services without first understanding social exclusion. We had to transcend conceptual definitions and focus on a critical assessment of our existing practices and services. Understanding that there is social exclusion in our communities and recognizing that it does keep people from engaging with mainstream institutions such as public libraries is necessary before we can create truly inclusive libraries....lets change that 11

14 Working Together Project Sites: Overview Project Communities After receiving funding confirmation from HRSDC, the Vancouver Public Library selected three additional library systems to participate in the Project based on their population demographics, previous experience working with socially excluded communities, and commitment to the goals of the Project. Each library system then selected a community with which to work. In each case, the focus was on connecting with socially excluded people who were not using the library. Vancouver Vancouver Public Library identified Mount Pleasant, a culturally-diverse neighbourhood located just outside of the downtown core, as its Project community. Mount Pleasant is characterized by a higher-than-average level of poverty, with the most recent census data suggesting that just over one-third of the community are low-income households. Due to its history as a low-income neighbourhood, the community is home to a number of social service agencies. In Mount Pleasant, poverty creates the exclusion that defines many community members lives. The neighbourhood is also undergoing rapid change as parts of the community gentrify. Halifax Halifax Public Libraries focused their work on the Greystone public housing community and the 500 block of Herring Cove Road. As Greystone is public housing, all residents have low incomes and most receive income assistance. The units include families with children, seniors, and adults receiving a disability pension. About 15% of the residents are African Nova Scotian. The community is geographically isolated on a steep hill with one road leading to it. Grocery stores, banks, the library, and other services are two kilometres away. Residents have low literacy and high unemployment. The exclusion many residents experience is compounded by their geographical isolation. Toronto The Toronto Public Library decided to work in two communities: Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park. Many new immigrants, beginning in the 1970s and continuing today, settled in these neighbourhoods. Flemingdon Park is a diverse community with roots in the Caribbean, Africa, South East Asia, China, and other parts of the world. Thorncliffe Park has a high concentration of Muslims, mainly from South East Asia. Among the many languages spoken in these communities, the main ones are Tamil, Chinese, Farsi, Gujarati, Urdu, Punjabi, and Tagalog. Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park are very densely housed communities of high-rise apartments. Both communities have high poverty rates and overcrowding. Settlement assistance is in high demand by the ongoing influx of newcomers. Education levels are generally high, but unemployment and underemployment are challenges, along with inclusion in Canadian society and economy. Many adults in these communities, particularly recent immigrants, face challenges accessing ESL classes and skills training, as well as barriers to recognition of overseas experience or qualifications. 12 Part I Overview

15 Regina The Regina Public Library selected North Central Regina, which has a population of 10,500 people. The Aboriginal population, which comprises forty percent of the North Central population, is increasing rapidly as families move from rural areas to the city. Many people in the community live in poverty, have low literacy skills, and lack the skills needed to compete in the workforce. In addition, many youth and seniors are isolated within the community. The unemployment rate is high at 15%, compared to 4.2% for the rest of Regina. There is a high rate of transience and many of the houses in the community are old and in poor repair. Although the Albert Library has had a Community Advisory Committee for over twenty years, the branch is still not reaching many segments of the community. Many residents feel that the library has nothing to offer them and are not comfortable using it. Establishing the Community Development Librarian Position The role of the Community Development Librarian (CDL) was fundamental to the Working Together Project. The attitudes and new skills required to work successfully outside the library and with socially excluded community members were tested and embedded in the requirements for this position. CDLs developed new ways of collaborating and partnering with community members, while working with community members to address questions of service equity, systemic barriers, and inclusive library practices. Insights and models for new methods of community-led library work were mediated through this position. Initially, the Project sought to establish the Community Development Librarian position as a permanent position in the Project s partner libraries. In some cases, this was appropriate and successful. In other cases, libraries made the decision to incorporate the attitudes, qualities, and skills of the CDL into existing positions and job descriptions because they viewed such skills and attributes as important for all library staff if systemic change were to be achieved. The process of redefining the role of the librarian in the community began with the CDL position and will continue in each partner library after the Working Together Project ends. engage 13

16 Community Engagement in Context Over the life of the Working Together Project, we have answered many questions about the difference between community development and outreach and have seen recent literature that even uses the two phrases interchangeably. Likewise, we have heard some confusion about the difference between consulting the community and collaborating with the community. The following discussion clarifies the differences between outreach, consultation, community development, and community development in a library context. Its intent is to provide context for the Community- Led Service Planning Model. Types of Community Engagement Outreach Outreach is a long-standing public library service. At its core, outreach involves delivering a message that the library believes to be important, such as that reading to your pre-schoolers is important for early literacy development, that the library has important online resources that will help high-school students do their homework, or that the library offers a wide-array of services with broad appeal. As staff, we decide on a format that these messages will take perhaps a storytime visit to a new mother s drop-in, a books-for-babies campaign, an online research program at the local high school, or a library talk at the local neighbourhood house. If we have not already identified a location often as a result of a community request or by our needs assessment we find places that will allow us to come and deliver the program, message, or service. Our hope is that people begin to understand that the library is an important community resource. In all cases, the purpose is the same: we have a message that we need to convey, so we create a service, program, or presentation that allows us to convey the message and then take it out into the community to ensure people understand the important services we offer. Outreach happens in the community. The librarian is the authority, and the focus is on information out or service delivery. Consultation Consultation is another long-standing tradition in libraries. We are constantly trying to understand our users and what they want from the library. Often, to do this, we use consultation tools such as surveys, comment cards, polls, or focus groups. Consultation, however, is wholly focused on getting information on what the community wants or needs. After the results of consultation have been gathered, libraries have traditionally worked in-house to develop service responses. 14 Part I Overview

17 Consultation can happen in the library or in the community. The library is asking for feedback, and the focus is on information in or hearing from the community. Importantly, traditional consultation techniques favour existing library users and/or economically-advantaged, engaged, and confident non-users. Social/Community Development Public libraries have long been active partners in many local social development initiatives. Libraries sit as service provider partners at the table during community undertakings, such as the development of community-wide crime reduction strategies, literacy initiatives, or early childhood education strategies. By participating in these activities, the library is a partner in what we would consider traditional social development initiatives. When libraries talk about their community development activities, they are usually speaking about this type of engagement. When libraries discuss their community development focused partnerships, they are most commonly referring to this type of serviceprovider-to-service-provider social development focused partnership. Community Development in a Library Context When the Working Together Project discusses community development in a library context, we are referring to the application and evolution of philosophies and techniques that community developers use to work with communities within the context of library service planning. In particular, we use it within the context of working directly with socially excluded people in our communities to plan services. The focus of community development in a library context goes beyond receiving feedback or hearing from the community (consultation or information in ) and extends to encompass meaningful and active community member engagement in service prioritization and planning. Community Engagement in Context The continuum on the following page illustrates increasing user engagement in service development as one moves from left to right. On the far left of the continuum, the library is in charge of determining what community needs it will respond to and how it will respond to them, and the relationship with the community is one in which the library informs and educates the community about library services. As we move toward the right, we see increasing concentration on hearing from the user. Further right, we see engagement of the community on panels and committees and, to the far right, we see the community leading the library. Hence, community-led libraries. see for yourself 15

18 Community Engagement in Context The various types of community engagement are charted below. Please note that the partnering in the right column is traditionally with other service organisations as referred to above in the discussion of Community Development. Public Involvement continuum Giving Information getting information engaging partnering / collaborating INFORM / EDUCATE consult discuss / debate engage / participate partner / collaborate Library plans services and informs the public of the services. Library asks the community what it wants or finds important. Library asks the community what it wants or finds important. Library involves community in library activities. Library works with community members to plan services. Outreach Library Booths Marketing Programming ICT training Literacy promotion Press & Pamphlets Open Houses Surveys Polls Over-the-desk chats Feedback forms Focus groups Public meetings Seminars Advisory committees Expert advisors Community panels Collaborative service development Community-Led Service Planning listening consulting engaging collaborating There is a role for each of these ranges of engagement in library services and libraries will need to think strategically about when and where each technique is best used. However, the Working Together Project strongly advocates the partnering/collaborating model when developing services for socially excluded communities. Our experience with the Community-Led Service Planning Model has shown that this highly collaborative approach is what works when trying to engage socially excluded community members in library services. It is the model which allows us to truly see the library through the community s eyes, allows the library to learn from the community s experiences and perspectives, and allows the library to engage them in decision making and planning. It demonstrates to socially excluded community members that we trust them, believe in them, and value them as highly as other users. This model will allow public libraries to evolve into truly inclusive social institutions. 16 Part I Overview

19 Community-Led Service Planning Developing Inclusive Public Libraries Using the Tools and Advice Systemic Barriers to Public Library Service Community-Led Service Planning Model The Tools Community Entry Community Mapping Relationship Building Partnerships Program Planning Computer Training Collection Development Customer Service here we go 17

20 Using the Tools The Community-Led Libraries Toolkit is designed for library staff fulfilling diverse roles from those who serve the community directly at the circulation desk to those who plan services, develop policy, or manage library operations. The Toolkit provides background and contextual information, case studies, issues to consider, and reflections from the Working Together Project team. However, the Tools in this Toolkit are not intended to be prescriptive step-by-step instructions: they are intended to provide practical advice and to share experiences. Each library and library staff member can consider the strategies and activities and can then implement or modify them to suit their unique communities. BUMP The Tools are based on the experiences of the Project team at all stages of the service planning process from learning about our communities and first contact through service planning and evaluation. The Tools are both a reference and a guide to help you work collaboratively with socially excluded communities. The Toolkit is organised sequentially, with each section building directly upon the previous section. For this reason, it is important to review the overarching Community-Led Service Model first. After this, work your way through the Tools until the final section in which we provide some guidance on the environmental factors required to sustain the inclusive public library. Please keep in mind that these are not all-encompassing tools. Rather, they are meant to assist each library with getting started on the path of community-led service planning. Using the Tools will not mean that you will not make mistakes when working with the community. Certain aspects of this type of work are very nuanced, and the community can be very sensitive, depending on their history with service providers and institutions. As such, this type of work requires flexibility and resilience. This Toolkit is intended to provide you with a chance to learn from our experiences. As you begin to develop skills in these areas, you will no doubt learn from your own experiences as well. yes, there will be a few 18 Part II Community-Led Service Planning

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